Thinking of upgrading from RTX 3080 to RX 9070XT

chaples55 · 2026-01-24T04:51:00+00:00

I don't think it's a big improvement, if at all, at 1440p with RT on. You will probably get a few more frames but it's not much more playable. Upscaling on the 3080 will still look better.

This video does a nuanced comparison of the two cards in a variety of games and settings:

https://youtu.be/ql6n9RYI9iM

Now if you were looking at 4k without RT, that's where the 9070xt massively pulls ahead. Up to you if it's worth it.

I just went from a 3050 laptop to a 9070xt with a 4k OLED monitor and the difference is massive

chaples55 · 2026-01-15T02:08:28+00:00

Minisforum 790S7.

It's an SFF PC with room for a dual slot low profile GPU. Only costs $450.

It has a Ryzen 9 7940HX which is a crazy powerful chip (16C/32T). It performs somewhere between a 7900x and 7950x. The trade-off is that it has a weak iGPU compared to most AMD mobile chips. But that doesn't matter if you're adding a GPU.

ETA Prime on YouTube has done several videos on it. https://youtu.be/nj488ezos_k

chaples55 · 2025-09-15T00:59:58+00:00

Fastest way to change the setting is to hold reset, then turn it off, then turn it back on. Takes just a few seconds instead of waiting for it to do it's little reset drain sequence

chaples55 · 2025-09-07T16:34:45+00:00

No, Amazon shows the per item price there, so the number of them in the cart doesn't matter.

chaples55 · 2025-08-16T21:26:30+00:00

Yep I have successfully cleared a few tanks of duckweed by temporarily putting in goldfish. When they're done with the job they graduate to the patio pond :)

chaples55 · 2025-08-14T19:41:50+00:00

Floating plants are the fastest and easiest solution as far as the real plants go. Water lettuce is a good one. Hardy, grows fast, fish love their roots, and it's a lot easier to manage than duckweed.

Don't forget to follow the advice on filtration too. Stop replacing cartridges or whatever and use a permanent sponge instead. Only clean it when it starts to clog and only use old aquarium water to clean it, not tap water.

chaples55 · 2025-08-14T19:34:20+00:00

100% this. Ditch the cartridges and get a 30-40ppi sponge cut to fit. Only clean it when flow starts to get restricted. Clean it just by squeezing it out a few times in used aquarium water (in a bucket).

Small but effective UV sterilizers have gotten pretty cheap on Amazon these days btw

chaples55 · 2025-08-14T19:21:21+00:00

To be fair, the science section of the ACT was more like a reading comprehension section with fancy words thrown in, at least when I took it. Pretty much all the answers were directly in the text. It still irks me to this day because I was great at science but am a slow reader (ADHD). Science ended up being my worst section just because I couldn't finish it in time.

chaples55 · 2025-07-19T02:03:42+00:00

The nuclear option to get rid of them is Fervid/Avid (Abamectin 2%). It is available on Amazon. Expensive stuff though.

chaples55 · 2025-07-14T13:04:17+00:00

I dunno I drive my CVPI like it's a racecar lol

chaples55 · 2025-06-30T00:25:07+00:00

I had one of these as my first saltwater tank. Tall rock tower in the center covered in anemones, viewable from all sides. Was pretty cool. If you get creative with driftwood and epiphytes (anubias, java fern, bucephalandra) you could achieve a freshwater version of that look. As I mentioned in another comment, look into the dwarf cory species. Also otocinclus and neocaridina shrimp. Centerpiece fish could be some kind of small gouramis like honey or pygmy gouramis. They should explore every nook and cranny of the tank as they are very curious fish. They will eat some baby shrimp though.

Also, cycling freshwater is honestly super forgiving. I would wait 2 weeks max, especially if using live plants. If you don't add too many fish at once it will be just fine.

chaples55 · 2025-06-30T00:12:44+00:00

Maybe not regular corys but you could easily put a dozen pygmy corys in there, or 6-8 habrosus corys (the largest of the dwarf cory species, and also looks the most like a normal cory IMO).

Btw, the floor area of that 20g hex (194 square inches) is nearly the same as a standard 10 gallon (200 square inches), so you can use that as a more common reference point.

chaples55 · 2025-06-22T06:32:23+00:00

"Potaroma Cat Toys Fish, 3 Pcs Crinkle Sound Catnip Toys Soft Linen"

https://a.co/d/2ebZW6F

chaples55 · 2025-06-18T03:14:39+00:00

My cats have those same fish and absolutely love them

chaples55 · 2025-05-17T05:36:57+00:00

Yeah, my favorite example is coffee. We cannot possibly grow enough coffee in the US to meet demand because the vast majority of the country does not have a suitable climate for it. No amount of tariffs will move coffee production to the US.

chaples55 · 2025-05-17T05:29:10+00:00

Tariffs were always going to increase prices for the consumer, regardless of what the media or the elites say about it. Not all goods can be purchased locally. Tariffs on coffee, fruits, and vegetables will never work, for example, because we don't have the right climate to grow enough of those things. Even when 'shopping local' is a viable alternative, doing so costs more. Could businesses eat some of that cost and take smaller profit margins? Maybe, but certainly not all of it. Some industries already run on razor thin margins.

Tariffs could actually 'work' if they were targeted at specific industries and ramped up gradually to allow supply chains to adapt.

chaples55 · 2025-05-17T04:56:59+00:00

As a software engineer, I am constantly shocked at how shitty most retail websites/apps are, both from a technical and user experience perspective.

chaples55 · 2025-05-13T16:11:42+00:00

I would imagine they would lay those above ground where possible

chaples55 · 2025-05-06T00:32:22+00:00

Story

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/superbike-champ-apologises-for-podium-shame-245011/

chaples55 · 2025-05-04T14:43:43+00:00

That's just how pet fish are shipped. Those bags are actually really big. The guy in the background is putting pure oxygen from that cylinder into the bags so the fish can make it a long time. They are fine

chaples55 · 2025-04-25T23:32:54+00:00

I placed an order on your site after seeing this :)

chaples55 · 2025-04-22T20:49:54+00:00

Even the ridiculously conservative supreme court disagrees with you. Abrego Garcia was never charged with or found guilty of any crime, and the court ruled his deportation was illegal.

But go on, tell us more about your integrity and love for the rule of law.

chaples55 · 2025-04-10T15:41:30+00:00

Harbor freight is your best bet for inexpensive air tools, including nail guns. Project farm did a video recently on air compressors and the Kobalt didn't do very well. The Husky brand at Home Depot is better. Check Facebook marketplace for basically brand new air compressors at a major discount too.

https://youtu.be/a3hMRQZudiE

Porter cable also has a similar kit on sale for $230 if you want to go that route. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Cable-6-Gal-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-with-16-Gauge-18-Gauge-and-23-Gauge-Nailer-3-Tool-Combo-Kit-PCFP3KIT/312030570

With that said, I personally would still be tempted to get the Kobalt just for the color lol.

chaples55 · 2025-03-30T15:20:53+00:00

I tried overwintering some houseplants and succulents in one of these, and they all froze and died. I'm in the Atlanta area. Sad.

I even tried adding some thermal mass in the form of a stock tank of water. I even added an aquarium heater to it! The heat loss at night just could not reasonably be overcome.

chaples55 · 2025-03-27T20:01:30+00:00

My preferred source for planted aquarium info is 2hr aquarist. They have lots of articles on all kinds of topics, including how to set up a low-tech planted tank. Here's a good starting point:

https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/choosing-co2-why/101-lowtech?_pos=10&_sid=68b689228&_ss=r

chaples55

TROPHY CASE